The college football season kicked off last night in what was an ugly contest between Miami and Florida. Week zero featured the Sunshine State battle, and while it wasn't the most entertaining game in the world, it was a sign that college football has officially returned.
| SCHOOL | ODDS (JAN) | ODDS (AUG) |
|---|---|---|
| CLEMSON | 7/2 | 9/4 |
| ALABAMA | 3/2 | 5/2 |
| GEORGIA | 12/1 | 6/1 |
| MICHIGAN | 12/1 | 14/1 |
| OKLAHOMA | 15/1 | 14/1 |
| OHIO STATE | 10/1 | 16/1 |
| TEXAS | 20/1 | 25/1 |
| LSU | 50/1 | 25/1 |
| NEBRASKA | 25/1 | 50/1 |
| NOTRE DAME | 25/1 | 50/1 |
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are set to get underway next Saturday against FAU, and right now Ohio State checks in with the sixth-best odds to capture the national title. Those odds have actually gone down a bit since January and there's obviously been plenty of major changes that have taken place since that time.
It's certainly no surprise that Clemson and Alabama are the betting favorites heading into the season. College football's best teams also have two of its top quarterbacks with a ridiculous amount of talent at the skill positions.
I'm not entirely sure how Michigan is tied with Oklahoma for the fourth-best championship odds. Don Brown lost a lot on defense but the man obviously knows what he's doing and should be solid again this year. Offensively it's really going to depend on how new coordinator Josh Gattis can do as a first-time play-caller. This is something Urban Meyer noted yesterday during his appearance on Fox Sports' college football kickoff show.
Nebraska is a bit of a surprise on that list as the fine folks in Vegas are clearly fans of Scott Frost. It's worth noting that Auburn, Florida, Utah, Washington, and Oregon also have the same 50/1 odds as the Huskers and Fighting Irish.
The Crimson Tide and the Tigers were the favorites heading into last season as well, but maybe we'll have a few more surprises this go around? Our staff picks have arrived for this year's conference champions and the College Football Playoff.
Ramzy Nasrallah
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Texas • PAC 12: Utah • SEC: Georgia
College Football Playoff: Clemson, Ohio State, Utah, Georgia
National Champion: Georgia
Chris Lauderback
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Oklahoma • PAC 12: Utah • SEC: Alabama
College Football Playoff: Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State
National Champion: Alabama
Dan Hope
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Oklahoma • PAC 12: Washington • SEC: Alabama
College Football Playoff: Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State
National Champion: Clemson
Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers have a fairly easy path to the playoffs. Via Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Andy Vance
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Oklahoma • PAC 12: Washington • SEC: Alabama
College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma
National Champion: Ohio State
David Wertheim
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Oklahoma • PAC 12: Oregon • SEC: Alabama
College Football Playoff: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia
National Champion: Clemson
David Regimbal
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Oklahoma • PAC 12: Washington • SEC: Alabama
College Football Playoff: Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama
National Champion: Alabama
Jake Anderson
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Oklahoma • PAC 12: Oregon • SEC: Georgia
College Football Playoff: Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama
National Champion: Clemson
Andrew Ellis
Power Five: ACC: Clemson • Big Ten: Ohio State • Big 12: Texas • PAC 12: Utah • SEC: Alabama
College Football Playoff: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas
National Champion: Clemson
There aren't too many surprises with this year's selections. Everyone has Clemson making the playoffs and most have the Tigers pegged as repeat champions. Shoutout to Andy Vance for being the real MVP this go around.
The PAC-12 and Big-12 could perhaps be the country's most interesting conferences. They're hardly the best from top to bottom, but it just seems like they both have some more uncertainty than most of the others.
Can Texas finally pass by Oklahoma or does Lincoln Riley have yet another superstar quarterback transfer in Jalen Hurts (or maybe both can be true)? Oregon has one of the top NFL prospects in Justin Herbert, but are the Ducks well-rounded enough to win the PAC-12 over teams likes Utah and Washington?
If Georgia has another fine season but again fails to win the SEC, could that again cause problems for another conference champion? Ohio State has missed out two years in a row despite winning the Big Ten. Things would get ugly if that were to happen yet again and the expansion talks would only intensify.
If you're looking for more of a composite type of ranking among the 11W staff, it would be Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Ohio State in the playoffs with the Tigers coming out on top.
Who are your playoff and national champion picks for the 2019 season? Is there a surprise team that you can see making a playoff run?
